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Chicago Tribune
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Willie Wilson: The Black church is left out of a key community rebuilding board in Illinois
The idea of having a reliable revenue stream from cannabis sales dedicated in part to rebuilding communities harmed by economic disinvestment, violence and the war on drugs is good. However, I am concerned the application of funding may be missing the mark. The Black church has no influence in the Restore, Reinvest and Renew grant program (R3) created under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). The 2019 law requires 25% of all cannabis revenue be used to support communities affected by economic disinvestment, violence and the damage caused by the war on drugs. As written, the law designated Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as the chair of the board and empowered her to appoint several of the 40 board seats for the R3 program. The ICJIA has awarded more than $244 million in R3 program grants. The question must be asked — how can you talk about rebuilding the Black community without the Black church at the table? It is akin to passing legislation affecting children without having key stakeholders like parents and children involved. Also, should rebuilding Black communities be confined to those who have been involved with the criminal justice system? What about Ms. Velma Lewis, a 74-year-old African American woman who lost her Maywood home to a property tax sale because she made the decision to put a new roof on her house in lieu of paying her property taxes? Ms. Lewis' story is heartbreaking — her home had been paid off — she lost her Cook County home and all the equity to a tax buyer as reported by Injustice Watch. I wonder if the Black church could have helped save her home. The Black church is the backbone of the African American community. In addition to its spiritual function, churches provide social services including education, employment, political mobilization and fights for civil rights. The Black church was the catalyst for Civil Rights Movement. In light of deep cuts to federal and state programs, as well as rising utility and food costs, the Black church will be called upon to fill the gap in services. Additionally, churches must oppose efforts to rewrite the history of African Americans in the U.S. and the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion. There is no entity closer to the African American community than the Black church. It is an insult that Black church leaders are not at the table to make recommendations on what is needed to rebuild and stabilize the African American community. How can African American legislative leaders allow the Black church to be excluded? The law as established did not provide a seat for Black church representation. There are nine vacant R3 board seats appointed by the lieutenant governor. Interestingly, no Black church leaders are on the R3 board. The stated goals of the R3 program are to address disparities related to violence, unemployment, educational inequality and drug-related addiction, which are only becoming wider. Without question, the Black community was significantly harmed by the war on drugs. One provision of the 1994 Crime Bill was especially onerous and racially charged. The 100-1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and cocaine led to immeasurable harm on Black, brown and low-income communities. The damage continues in other forms of destabilizing efforts. Injustice Watch also found that Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners facing property tax foreclosure. The report noted that since 2019 more than 1,000 owner-occupied homes in Cook County, like Lewis' property, were taken through foreclosure. The homes taken were concentrated in predominantly Black communities like Roseland, Englewood and Chicago Heights. Also, more than half of the homes were taken following an initial property tax debt of $1,600 or less. The Black church if properly resourced and unified could transform our communities. Widening racial gaps in unemployment, wealth, education, housing and other areas should cause leaders to reexamine the effectiveness of the R3 program and whether it should be expanded. The R3 grants fund programs in five areas: The Black church is the soil that helped grow phenomenal Black leaders. Any serious proposals to rebuild and stabilize the African American community must include the Black church at the table. The following are suggestions to consider that will empower the Black church and African American communities: The government working in concert with the Black church can help rebuild African American communities. I write this commentary to make those comfortable with excluding Black church leaders from directing resources for community rebuilding uncomfortable. Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daywatch: A path to resentencing for more than 1,200 inmates in Illinois
Good morning, Chicago. Christopher Carter was 20 when he took part in the murder, armed robbery and kidnapping of a man whose body he helped dispose of on Chicago's West Side in March 2001. He was the youngest of three suspects charged in the crime. He argued that his role was comparatively limited and that he didn't commit the actual killing, but at trial testified that he participated in the murder because he was afraid of the two older men, according to court records. All three were convicted, and Carter was sentenced to 100 years in prison. More than 20 years into his incarceration, criminal justice reform advocates say Carter is among roughly 1,200 people in prison in Illinois who, under legislation being considered in Springfield, could be eligible for resentencing by a judge who takes into consideration their age and maturity level at the time the crimes were committed. The proposal would apply to people in prison for crimes they committed when they were under 21. It marks one of the latest efforts by lawmakers to allow retroactive sentencing reforms that would give long-term prisoners, some essentially locked away for life, a chance at freedom. Read the full story from the Tribune's Jeremy Gorner. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: how the city will handle 'teen takeovers' returning downtown, State Sen. Emil Jones III going on trial today on bribery charges and Chicago's connection to 'The Great Gatsby.' Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Cook County and state officials approved the cascade of taxpayer dollars even as the company struggled with software crashes, bungled rollouts and allegations of incompetence, while Tyler pointed the finger back at government officials for various missteps, an investigation by Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune found. The Trump administration's decision to close a regional Head Start office in Chicago this week has raised questions about how the program, which serves more than 28,000 children and low-income families in Illinois, will continue to operate in coming weeks and months. A federal judge has determined that Itasca won't have to face the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by behavioral health provider Haymarket Center after the western suburb rejected its proposal for a drug treatment facility. Thousands rallied and marched around downtown Saturday afternoon to take part in a national day of action to say 'hands off' to President Donald Trump's administration. So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states. In Chicago, a flood of people swarmed Daley Plaza, with hundreds filling the surrounding streets by noon. The crowd then began an hourlong march making a loop around to State Street and then back to Daley Plaza. When Khalil Cotton was growing up on Grand Boulevard on the city's South Side, he and his friends often struggled to find places to hang out outside of school. A hoop with a crate on a pole was a replacement for a basketball court because there wasn't one nearby, he said. Hundreds of young adults like Cotton have attended what are now commonly called 'teen takeovers' over the past few years in the city's downtown neighborhoods. Videos of these gatherings — including two notable ones just last month, which ended with a 15-year-old boy sustaining a graze wound and a tourist being shot as she walked back to a hotel with her son — have circulated across social media, generating debate in the City Council and neighborhood groups alike as summer approaches. Chicago Democrat Emil Jones III was made a state senator in 2008 in a classic Illinois way, on a path paved by his powerful father that left little to chance. Now, Jones is rolling the dice with a federal jury that could send him packing in equally time-honored Illinois fashion: as a convicted felon. Jones, 46, whose father, Emil Jones Jr., led the state Senate for years before orchestrating having his son replace him, goes on trial today on bribery charges alleging he agreed to help a red-light camera company alter legislation in exchange for $5,000 and a job for his legislative intern. The Cook County state's attorney's office announced Friday that it is expanding a pilot program allowing Chicago police officers to bypass prosecutors and directly file charges in some low-level felony gun cases, a move the office says will ease backlogs and free up police officers and assistant state's attorneys for higher-priority work. Is new closer Ryan Pressly the next Mitch Williams or a Hector Neris' clone? Will the Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker, or should fans just enjoy his presence for now and worry about that come November? And if the torpedo bats really work, why don't they make every Cubs hitter use one instead of just Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner? Those were but a few of the questions Paul Sullivan heard at Wrigley on day one of the home season as Cubs fans returned to their home away from home. Ian Happ embodies consistency in reaching 1,000-game milestone with the Chicago Cubs: 'I'm so proud' 3 takeaways from the Cubs' missed chance to sweep the San Diego Padres, including a 9th-inning error Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was a first-ballot selection for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of eight individuals named to its 2025 class Saturday. His selection was predicated on a heralded career as a collegiate coach for leading Florida to consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007. He remains one of only three men's coaches to accomplish the feat. Former Chicago Sky star Sylvia Fowles also was named to this year's Hall class as a first-ballot selection. The Sky drafted Fowles with the No. 2 pick in 2008 after she led LSU to four consecutive Final Four appearances. She was a three-time All-Star and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Sky before being traded in 2015 to the Minnesota Lynx, with whom she won two WNBA championships and an MVP trophy in 2017. 3 takeaways as the Bulls creep closer to 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a win This week marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby.' It was destined to be the definitive literary monument of the Roaring '20s, a decade of fortunes made and lost on Wall Street. Prohibition gave booze the lure of the illicit. But the novel's debut on April 10, 1925, was a dud. Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch told The Beacon-News in a recent interview that he has no intention of pursuing the City of Lights Center project. The 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space called the City of Lights Center proposed for downtown Aurora, which Laesch previously spoke out against and said Thursday as a project is 'pretty much dead' under his incoming administration, would have cost the city between $100 million and $120 million, according to past reporting. Three upcoming, monumental dance events, all with deep ties to Chicago, are on a collision course with your calendar. But it is possible to see the Joffrey Ballet, Twyla Tharp and Parsons Dance next weekend. And you should, writes Lauren Warnecke.
Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: A path to resentencing for more than 1,200 inmates in Illinois
Good morning, Chicago. Christopher Carter was 20 when he took part in the murder, armed robbery and kidnapping of a man whose body he helped dispose of on Chicago's West Side in March 2001. He was the youngest of three suspects charged in the crime. He argued that his role was comparatively limited and that he didn't commit the actual killing, but at trial testified that he participated in the murder because he was afraid of the two older men, according to court records. All three were convicted, and Carter was sentenced to 100 years in prison. More than 20 years into his incarceration, criminal justice reform advocates say Carter is among roughly 1,200 people in prison in Illinois who, under legislation being considered in Springfield, could be eligible for resentencing by a judge who takes into consideration their age and maturity level at the time the crimes were committed. The proposal would apply to people in prison for crimes they committed when they were under 21. It marks one of the latest efforts by lawmakers to allow retroactive sentencing reforms that would give long-term prisoners, some essentially locked away for life, a chance at freedom. Read the full story from the Tribune's Jeremy Gorner. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: how the city will handle 'teen takeovers' returning downtown, State Sen. Emil Jones III going on trial today on bribery charges and Chicago's connection to 'The Great Gatsby.' The $265 million tech bill: How a plan to streamline Illinois computer systems has cost more than $250 million Cook County and state officials approved the cascade of taxpayer dollars even as the company struggled with software crashes, bungled rollouts and allegations of incompetence, while Tyler pointed the finger back at government officials for various missteps, an investigation by Injustice Watch and the Chicago Tribune found. Shutdown of regional Head Start offices creates confusion, but feds say funding will continue The Trump administration's decision to close a regional Head Start office in Chicago this week has raised questions about how the program, which serves more than 28,000 children and low-income families in Illinois, will continue to operate in coming weeks and months. Judge: Feds can't intervene in Haymarket lawsuit to bring rehab center to Itasca A federal judge has determined that Itasca won't have to face the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by behavioral health provider Haymarket Center after the western suburb rejected its proposal for a drug treatment facility. Thousands rally, march through Loop for national 'Hands Off!' protest Thousands rallied and marched around downtown Saturday afternoon to take part in a national day of action to say 'hands off' to President Donald Trump's administration. So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states. In Chicago, a flood of people swarmed Daley Plaza, with hundreds filling the surrounding streets by noon. The crowd then began an hourlong march making a loop around to State Street and then back to Daley Plaza. As teens 'take over' downtown once again, Chicago faces a choice When Khalil Cotton was growing up on Grand Boulevard on the city's South Side, he and his friends often struggled to find places to hang out outside of school. A hoop with a crate on a pole was a replacement for a basketball court because there wasn't one nearby, he said. Hundreds of young adults like Cotton have attended what are now commonly called 'teen takeovers' over the past few years in the city's downtown neighborhoods. Videos of these gatherings — including two notable ones just last month, which ended with a 15-year-old boy sustaining a graze wound and a tourist being shot as she walked back to a hotel with her son — have circulated across social media, generating debate in the City Council and neighborhood groups alike as summer approaches. Anointed by powerful father, state Sen. Emil Jones III heads to trial on bribery charges Chicago Democrat Emil Jones III was made a state senator in 2008 in a classic Illinois way, on a path paved by his powerful father that left little to chance. Now, Jones is rolling the dice with a federal jury that could send him packing in equally time-honored Illinois fashion: as a convicted felon. Jones, 46, whose father, Emil Jones Jr., led the state Senate for years before orchestrating having his son replace him, goes on trial today on bribery charges alleging he agreed to help a red-light camera company alter legislation in exchange for $5,000 and a job for his legislative intern. Cook County state's attorney's office to expand pilot that allows police to directly file some gun charges The Cook County state's attorney's office announced Friday that it is expanding a pilot program allowing Chicago police officers to bypass prosecutors and directly file charges in some low-level felony gun cases, a move the office says will ease backlogs and free up police officers and assistant state's attorneys for higher-priority work. Column: It might be a bumpy season, but Chicago Cubs fans should just relax and enjoy the ride Is new closer Ryan Pressly the next Mitch Williams or a Hector Neris' clone? Will the Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker, or should fans just enjoy his presence for now and worry about that come November? And if the torpedo bats really work, why don't they make every Cubs hitter use one instead of just Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner? Those were but a few of the questions Paul Sullivan heard at Wrigley on day one of the home season as Cubs fans returned to their home away from home. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame along with Sky great Sylvia Fowles Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan was a first-ballot selection for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, one of eight individuals named to its 2025 class Saturday. His selection was predicated on a heralded career as a collegiate coach for leading Florida to consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007. He remains one of only three men's coaches to accomplish the feat. Former Chicago Sky star Sylvia Fowles also was named to this year's Hall class as a first-ballot selection. The Sky drafted Fowles with the No. 2 pick in 2008 after she led LSU to four consecutive Final Four appearances. She was a three-time All-Star and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Sky before being traded in 2015 to the Minnesota Lynx, with whom she won two WNBA championships and an MVP trophy in 2017. Chicago's connection to 'The Great Gatsby' as Fitzgerald's novel turns 100 This week marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby.' It was destined to be the definitive literary monument of the Roaring '20s, a decade of fortunes made and lost on Wall Street. Prohibition gave booze the lure of the illicit. But the novel's debut on April 10, 1925, was a dud. Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch says City of Lights Center project 'pretty much dead' Aurora Mayor-elect John Laesch told The Beacon-News in a recent interview that he has no intention of pursuing the City of Lights Center project. The 4,000-seat theater and 600-person event space called the City of Lights Center proposed for downtown Aurora, which Laesch previously spoke out against and said Thursday as a project is 'pretty much dead' under his incoming administration, would have cost the city between $100 million and $120 million, according to past reporting. Three upcoming, monumental dance events, all with deep ties to Chicago, are on a collision course with your calendar. But it is possible to see the Joffrey Ballet, Twyla Tharp and Parsons Dance next weekend. And you should, writes Lauren Warnecke.
Chicago Tribune
06-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
David Jackson
David Jackson is an investigative reporter at Injustice Watch, where his work focuses on the courts. He earned a Pulitzer Prize at The Washington Post, and was a four-time Pulitzer finalist during his 29 years at the Chicago Tribune, from 1991 through 2020.
